II.—Secondary Formation.

A very wide interval occurs between the primary rocks of the Northern Island and the next sedimentary strata that I met with. Not only the upper members of the primary series are absent, but also nearly the whole of the Secondary formations. The only instance of secondary strata that I have met with, consists of very regular and highly-inclined beds of marl alternating with micaceous sandstone, extending to a thickness of more than 1000 feet—which I first saw on the South head of the Waikato, and afterwards met with on the Western shore of Kawhia harbour.

These rocks possess great interest from the fact that they contain remarkable specimens of marine fossils, which belong exclusively to the secondary period, especially Cephalopods of the genera Ammonite and Belemnite, several species of Belemnite, all belonging to the family of the Canatilati. These are the first specimens of those genera which have been discovered in the regions of Australasia.

Both fossils have been known for centuries by our ancestors in the Old World—the Ammonite as the horn of Jupiter Ammon, and the Belemnite as the bolts of the God of Thunder. The latter, though now first seen in the Antipodes by Europeans, have long been known to the Natives of Kawhia by a much less dignified name, the old warrior-chief, Nuitone te Pakaru, having told me that—the stones I prized so much and collected so greedily, are nothing more than roke-kanae, which means the excrement of the fish commonly known amongst the settlers by the name of mullet. In reality, the Belemnite belongs to a creature, long since extinct, which was allied to the now living cuttle-fish.

Secondary rocks may probably be found in some other parts of the West Coast, and occur...

III.—Tertiary Formations.

I proceed now to speak of the Tertiary period, strata of which, of very various characters, occupy a large portion of the Northern Island. The various tertiary strata are found for the most part in a horizontal position—a remarkable fact, from which we may conclude that even the numerous volcanic eruptions which took place during and after the period of their deposition, had not power enough to dislocate the whole system, but merely to produce local disturbances.

The tertiary period must be divided into two distinct formations, which may perhaps correspond to the European Eocene and Miocene. There is an older formation which is found principally on the West Coast, and in the interior, on both sides of the primary ranges, and a newer one which may be called the Auckland Tertiary Formation.

You will probably be interested to have some more minute description of the different strata of the older of these formations, as to this belong the Brown-Coal seams, to the discovery of which I am indebted for the opportunity of investigating the Geology of this Province, and on the intelligent working of which I believe very much of the future welfare of this Province depends.

The Brown-Coal Formation is of very considerable extent both in the Northern and Middle Islands of New Zealand, and is of similar character everywhere.

Some months ago I furnished a Report on the Coalfield in the neighbourhood of Auckland, in the Drury and Hunua districts, of which I will repeat here the principal points. The Drury coal belongs to a very good sort of brown coal—to the so-called Glanzkohle, with conchoidal fracture. I was not able to convince myself of the existence of different series of seams, one above the other, on different levels. I am much rather of opinion that the same seam, disturbed in its level, occurs at the different localities in the Drury and Hunua district, where coal is found. The average thickness of that coal seam may be estimated to amount to six feet. The section of the seam at Mr. Fallwell’s farm can be taken as a fair average.

The seam consists there of three portions:

• The upper part: a laminated coal of inferior quality, one foot; then a band of shale, two inches;
• The middle part: coal of a good quality, one and a half feet; then a band of bituminous shale, six inches;
• The lowest part: coal of the best quality I have seen, two and a half feet.

Thus the whole thickness of the coal itself may be considered to amount to about five feet. The bituminous shale accompanying the coal contains fossil plants, principally leaves of Dicotyledons. It is remarkable that no fossil ferns are found in connection with the Drury coalbeds; it is the more so, as at the other locality which I must mention—on the West Coast, seven miles from Waikato Heads—only fossil ferns, in a most beautiful state of...